Method of manufacturing pectous extracts from fruits and vegetables



Patented Mar. 3, 1925, r

IUNITED' STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GLENN DAVIDSON, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO I. F. LA'U'CKS, INCA, OF

- SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING PECTOUS EXTRAGTS FROM FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.

,lTo Drawing.

of the city of Seattle, county ofKing, State of Washington, have invented certain new and.useful Improvements in Methods of Manufacturing Pectous Extracts from Fruits and Vegetables, of whichth'e following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful method for the manufacture ofpectous extracts from fruits or vegetables. It has as its primary object the preparation of a fiavorless pectous extract, without processing or .extracting in an way the fruit or vegetable pulp from whic the extract is made previous to the extraction of the pectin.

Another advantage of my process is that the diffusion with water previous to the extraction of the pectin .is entirely eliminated to which extent the: operation of manufacturing the pectous extract is simplified from a mechanical standpoint.

A further advantage lies in the fact that during the alcoholic fermentation the coloring bodies of the pectous extract are. partially destroyed and coagulated to such an extent that they are readily removed by fil tration. The extract when ready for use will produce not only clear jelly but a water white jelly as well. Pectous extracts prepared by other methods do not yield as nearly a colorless jelly.

In carrying out my invention the fruit or vegetable-is first ground to a pulp. If desired. the pulp may be subjected to hydraulic 1 pressure for the removal of the juices,

whether or not this is done would depend upon the value .of the juices so obtained and upon the amount of pectin which is carried out in solution in the juices.- The last factor varying under different conditions 'as will be hereinafter explained.

The pectin is then extracted from the pulp with a dilute solution of acid (preferably acetic). The object in using the acid is to aid the following processes: 1) the inversion of any sucrose present to fermentable sugars, (2) the hydrolysis of suspended starch thereby rendering it soluble and thus Application filed August 18, 1921. Serial No. 498,431.

making the extract more easily clarified, (3) the conversion of water insoluble pectose into water soluble pectin, that is, the solution of the pectous substances of the fruit or vegetable. The strength of the acetic acid solution must be low enough so that it will not materially hinder alcoholic fermentation. Ordinarily, it is about 0.07 %-0.15%. I have found that, in practice, when a solution of this strength is used andthe extract after fermentation finally concentrated in the proportion of ten or twelve to one, the acetic acid content of the concentrated extract will approximate 0.65%. This content of acetic acid is sufficient to materially retard alcoholic fermentation. That is, the acetic acid in the concentrated extract acts to a certain extent as a preservative. This is of considerable advantage in the case of pectous extracts packed for use of the housewife, since the extract will remain in perfect condition several weeks after the removal of the hermetical seal of the container.

The extract obtained asdescribed above is allowed to ferment either with or without the addition of yeast. It is protected from air currents during the fermentation period 'in order to prevent the development of a and marmalades or it may, if desired, e re- .duced in volume-by evaporation prev ous to such use.

In some instances a small amount of the 5 fruit or vegetable flavor persists after the fermentation process. This natural flavor may in all instancesbe completely removed by treatment with either saturated or superheated steam, either with or without 10o 35 with water the pectin diffuses out also.

- ous to the extraction of the pectin therefrom.

An idea of the great'advantage in the use of my process may be gained in light of the following facts: In some "fruits .the pectin exists in solution in thetjuice. In other cases, particularly in the case of apples, the state of the pectin depends upon the ripeness of the fruit. In green apples the-substance presentis known as pectose and is insoluble in cold watery The pectose is hydrolyzed to water soluble pectin by boiling with water or dilute acid. Someof the methods now in use take advantage of this fact by removing the sugars and natural flavoring compounds by diffusion with water previous to. the extraction of the pectin. As apples ripen the pectose is converted into water solution pectin. in the ripening process. A large partof it goes into solution in the juice and most of the remainder is in a water soluble state so that if the sugars are removed by diffusion "In case it is attempted to. remove the sugars and natural flavoring compounds by processing (i. e. fermenting) the pulp pro.

vious to the extraction of the pectin it is exceedingly difficult to prevent other p'utres.

factive processes which take place simultaneously with the alcoholic fermentation. These putrefactive processesimpart to the mass of pulp and subsequently to the ex- 1 tract an unnatural and highly objectionable fi vor.

to remove from the extract.

It is these difliculties which my invention circumvents. First, by the. direct extrac- Thi's-flavoris exceedingly difficult tion of the; pectin no loss-is sustained due to diffusion. Thus my process. is equally applicable to the preparation of pectous extracts from green or from ripe'ap'ples or, in general from fruits containing water insoluble pectose or from fruits containing water soluble pectin. Second, by the ex-. traction of; the pectin from the .pulp previous to alcoholic fermentation and the protection of the extract from air currents during fermentation, all putrefactive processes other than alcoholic fermentation are eliminated together with their'consequenfi bad.

flavors.

great loss of pectin incurred in desugaring and deflavoring the pulp by diffusion previous to making of the pectous extract. By the use of my method this material-is all made available for the manufactureof high grade pectous extracts. 7

Ihave found that the length-of time required for a jelly to set depends upon its acidity. That is, a jelly high inacid will set more rapidly upon'cooling than a jelly containing a lower percentage of acid. Consequentlv, I control the length of time required for the jelly to set after cooling by varying the percentage acidity of the pectous extract Further I have found that pectous substancesvary in their ability to produce firm jellies depending upon sev eral factors such as the kind of fruit, ripeness of the fruit, etc. However, in most cases firm jellies can be made from the weaker pectins by simply increasing the amount of pectin. Therefore, I propose to make a pectous extract of standard strength by varying the amount of'pectin contained .in it. the'variation depending upon the jelly making strength of the pectin-so as to'produce a pectous extract which will in turn produce jellies of uniform strength regardless of the corfdition ofthe pectin. In case an acid is used to increase the acidity,which forms an insoluble calcium salt (e. g. tartaric). the insoluble calcium salt is precipitated in'the pectous extract. If desired the precipitated salt may be' removed either by settling orby filtering. The reason for the preference placed uponflacetic acid isthe fact that with its use with pectin and sucrose, candy or crystallize on the surface very rapidly when exposed to the air. edied by substituting invert sugar for the sucrose. That is, if a jelly is made from pectin invert sugar and water or fruit juice sit willfremain amorphous on the surface for a. long period of time even when ex-' posed .to-free' circulation of the air.

the pectiirremains in better condition dur- This matter can be'rem- V Having thus described my in vention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by. Letters-Patent, is:

1. A process for producing a flavor-less pectous extract consisting in the extraction of the pulped fruit or vegetable with a dilute solution of acid, deflavoring the extract by alcoholic fermentation and finally clarifying it by filtration.

pectous extract consisting in the extraction of the pulped fruit or vegetable with a dilute solution of acetic acid, de flavoring the extract by alcoholic fermentation and by treatment with steam, and clarifying the extract by filtration.

4. A process for producing a flavorless pectous extract substantially free from sugars, comprising treating fruit or vegetable pulp with a dilute acetic acid solution to simultaneously extract thepectous substance and the major part of the sugars, subjecting the extraction-product containing the remaining portion of the sugars to alcoholic fermentation, arresting said fermentation when substantially all of the sugars havebeen transformed but before the pectin has started to ferment and clarifying. the fermentation product.

9. The process of producing a fl'avorless pectous extract substantially free from sugars, comprising extracting the juices from fruit or vegetable pulp, separating the extraction liquid therefrom, treating the remaining pulp mass with a dilute acetic solution to simultaneously extract the pectous pectous substances.

p ous extract nearly free from sugars in tion when substantially all of the sugars has which the sugars present in the fruit 01' been transformed'but before the pectin has vegetable are fermented to alcohol, comprisstarted to ferment, and treating the fermening effecting the alcoholic fermentation proctation product to recover the pectous extract. ess in a vessel protected from air currents 10. The process of producing a fl -l and distilling the alcohol formed during the p ctou extract substantially free from fermentation process, whereby, the rema1nsugars, comprising extracting the juices ing solution consists mainly of p lnfrom fruit or vegetable pulp, separating the 5. A process of producing a flavorless extraction liquid therefrom, treating the pectous extract substantially free from pulp mass with'a dilute acetic acid solution sugars, comprising simultaneously extracting varying in strength between .07 to 15% to from the fruit or vegetablethe pectous subsimultaneously extract the pectous sub-stance,

stance and the major part of the sugars, freeand the major part of the sugars, subjecting the pectous substances from the remaining the extraction-product containing the reing sugars by fermentation of the sugars to maining portion of the sugars to alcoholic alcohol and recovering the alcohol and the fermentation, arresting said fermentation when substantially all of the sugars have 6. The process of producing a flavorless been transformed but before the pectin has pectous extract substantially free from started to ferment and treating the fermensugars, comprising simultaneously extracttation product to recover the pectous extract. ing from fruit or vegetable pulp the pectous 11. The process of producing a flavorless substance and the major portion of the pectous extract substantially free from sugars by treatment with a dilute acid solusugars, comprising treating fruit or vegetion, treating the extraction product to elimtable pulp with a dilute acid solution insufliinate the remainder of sugars. arresting cient to materially retard alcoholic fermenthe process before'the pectous substance has tation, to simultaneously extract the pectous started to decompose and treating the resultsubstance and the major part of the sugars; ing product to recover the pectous extract. subjecting the extraction product containing 7. The process of producing a flavorless the remaining portion of the sugars to 'alcopectous. extract substantially free from holic fermentation; arresting said fermentasugars, comprising treating fruit or vegetion when substantially all of the sugars table pulp with a dilute acid solution to have been transformed but before the pectm simultaneously extract the pectous substance has started to ferment; treatmg the fermenand the major part of the sugars, subjecting tatlon productto recover the pectous extract;

the extraction-product containing the reand concentratingthe'latter to such a degree maining portion of the sugars to alcoholic that its acid content acts as a preservative.

fermentation, arresting said fermentation 12- The process of. produ ing a flav0r1e$$ when substantially all of the sugars have pectous extract substantially free from been transformed but before the pectin has sugars, comprising extracting the ju ces from started to ferment and treating the extracfruit or vegetable pulp,separat1ng the extraction product to recover the pectous extract. tion-liquid therefrom, treatingthe pulp mass 8. The process of prod e g a flavorless with a dilute acetic acid solution varying in strength from .07 to 15%;.t6 s ijnuiltaneous l'y .beiore' the pectin has started to ferment, extract the pectous suhlst anceatind the major treating'the fermentation product to recover part of the sugars, subjecting the extraction the pectous extract and concentrating the 10 product containing the remaining portion latter until its acetic acid content is .65%.

5 of the sugars to alcoholic fermentation, ar-- Signed at Seattle, Washington this 6th resting said fermentation When substantially day of July, 1921. all the sugars have been transformed but GLENN DAVIDSON. 

